Mixing machine



W. A. BAECHLE MIXING MACHINE 2 Sheets-Sheet IN V EN TOR.

MLTER 4. BAECHLE Jan. 14, 1958 Filed April 5, 1355 Jan. 14, 1958 w. A. BAECHLE MIXING MACHINE 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed April 5, 1955 INVENTORY WALTER 'A. BAECHLE BY Away Ls.

nite ate MIXING MACHINE Application April 5, 1955, Serial No. 499,439

Claims. (Cl. 259-84) This invention relates to mixing machines and more particularly to machines for mixing solids with a vehicle such as paints and the like composed of a vehicle and pigment.

An object of this invention is to provide a mixer that will efliciently mix fluid substances containing solid particles, such as vehicles containing pigments.

Another object of the invention is to provide a mixer in which the whole body of the fluid is so set in motion that quiescent or dead pockets do not form, thereby insuring uniform mixing of the components of the fluid as for example the uniform dispersal of the pigment throughout the vehicle of a paint.

Another object of the invention is to provide a machine having a container that is rotated while the mixing blades are rotating within the same, a scraper blade for preventing accumulation of paint on the walls of the container and to provide a guide roller which with the blade form a track between which the wall of the container moves, the guide roller and blade being so mounted that they automatically adjust position to compensate for variations in the contour of the container.

And a still further object of the invention is to provide a mixer having at least two sets of rotating blades that are ececntric to the axis of rotation of the container and so disposed with respect to each other and to a scraper blade within the container that the paint does not pile up in front of the blade and overflow the container.-

Other objects of the invention will in part be apparent and will in part be obvious to those of ordinary skill in the art to which the invention pertains from the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

In the drawings:

Figure l is a view in front elevation of a mixing machine arranged and constructed in accordance with an embodiment of the invention;

Fig. 2 is a view in section taken on line II-II of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a view in section taken on line IIIIII of Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 is an enlarged partial view in perspective of a support for a guide roller and blade that cooperate with the container for the material to be mixed;

Fig. 5 is a view in section taken on line VV of Fig. 4; and

Fig. 6 is a top plan view, more or less schematic, partly in section, illustrating the rotational path of the mixing blades, the scrapper blade and guide roller and the path of movement of the fluid being mixed.

In Figs. 1, 2 and 3, a mixer 1 is illustrated that comprises a base 2 of hollow, box-like section, provided with uprights or standards 3 and 4 connected at the top by means of a crosshead 5.

The base 2 supports a disk 6 that is rotatably mounted on a shaft 7 provided with a pulley 8. The disk 6 may be rotated by a motor 9 provided with a reduction gear unit 10. The output shaft 10 of the unit 10 is provided with a drive such as a pulley 11 connected by a belt 12 to a pulley 13 mounted on a vertical shaft 14, and a pulley 15 at the lower end of the shaft 14 which drives pulley 8 through a belt 16.

The mixer includes a container of cylindrical form 17, that is mounted on the rotating platform 6. A fluid containing solids such as a paint vehicle containing pigment is placed in the container 17 to be mixed. The fluid is agitated by means of a pair of agitators 18 and 19. Agitator 18 is provided with blades 20 and 21 and agitator 19 is provided with blades 22 and 23. The blades 20-21 and 22-23 are secured at their upper ends to heads 24 and 25 respectively, the blades extending downwardly into the container as shown. Heads 24 and 25 have shafts 26 and 27 respectively, that are supported in a frame 29 of box-like construction that is movable relative to the container. The shafts 26 and 27 are provided with meshing pinions 31 and 32 respectively. Shaft 26 is provided with a suitable drive such as a pulley 33 through which the mixing blades are driven by a belt 34 running oif a pulley 35 on the driven shaft 14.

As shown in the drawings, the frame 29 is provided with a sleeve 37 through which the vertical shaft 14 extends. By means of the sleeve 37 the frame 29 is movable vertically on the shaft 14. The frame 29 and its rotating blades are supported by a pair of chains 38 and 39 located on opposite sides of the shaft 14, from sprocket wheels 40 and 41 that are rotatably supported on a shaft 42 mounted in the crosshead 5. As shown, the chains 38 and 39 run over the sprocket wheels 40 and 41, over pinion sprockets 43 and 43 adjacent the gear reducer 10, and under pinion sprockets 44 and 45 to the underside of the frame 29 to which they are secured. The sprockets 43 and 43' are mounted on a shaft 46 provided with a hand wheel 48 by means of which the shaft 46 and the chains 38 and 39 may be driven to raise or lower the platform or support 29 and the mixing blades with respect to the interior of the container 17.

In order to bias the platform 29 to a position where the mixing blades would be above or out of the container 17, a spring 50 is provided. The lower end of the spring 50 is anchored to the base 2 or other convenient part and to one of the links of the chains 33 or 39. Thus as the hand wheel 48 is turned in a direction to lower the mixer into the container 17, the spring is stretched; therefore when the wheel 48 is released, the mixing blades and the platform 29 are raised to the point where the blades are above the container.

The mixing device is provided with a scraper blade 53, the sharp edge of which is located relatively close to the inner wall surface of the container 17. The blade is pitched in a direction opposite to the rotation of the container as shown. The fluid scraped from the wall of the container is directed inwardly towards the blades as shown in Fig. 6. Furthermore, the sharp edge of the blade is located on a line passing between the centers of rotation of blades, as shown in Fig. 6.

The device is also provided with a guide roller 54 that is preferably located a short distance behind the rear edge of blade 53. The guide roller 54 is rotatably mounted at the lower end of a member 55. As shown, the axis of the guide roller 54 is upright and parallel to the axis of rotation of the container 17. The scraper blade 53 and the support member 55 are mounted on a carriage 56. The carriage is provided with oppositely disposed pairs of rollers 57 and 58 that run in tracks 59 and 60 of brackets 61 and 62 secured to the frame 29, as shown more particularly in Fig. 4. Since the carriage 56 is movable in the tracks 59 and 61), the blade 53 and the guide roller 54 will move together in accorda 3 ance with variations in the contour of the rim 64 of the container 17. In this manner the inner wall surface of the container 17 is maintained in a relatively fixed position with respect to the edge of the blade 53, so that the blade will follow the contour of the container rim even though bent and distorted from repeated handling. Since the carriage and blade move in and out following the wall of the container, the blade is shifted automatically to accommodate variations in the contour of the container wall.

In Figure 6, the location of the mixer blades 20, 21 and 22, 23 with respect to each other and their path of motion, with respect to the axis of rotation of container 17, and the location of the scraper blade 53 with reference to the mixer blades are shown. The view of Fig. 6 corresponds to what would be a horizontal section of the machine as taken on Fig. 1.

As shown in Fig. 6, the axis of rotation of container 17 is at X. The axis of rotation of the blades 20 and 21 is at Z and the axis of rotation of blades 22 and 23 is at Y. The axes of rotation Y and Z lie on a common diameter of container 17. Both axes Y and Z are eccentric to the axis X. The axis Y is displaced from the axis X a distance equal approximately to the radius of the circle inscribed by the blades 22 and 23. The center of rotation Z of blades 20 and 21 is slightly outside the circle inscribed by blades 22 and 23. When in the position shown in Fig. 6 blades 20 and 21 are approximately at right angles to blades 22 and 23. The blades 22 and 23 rotate counterclockwise and blades 20 and 21 clockwise, the blades 20, 21 and 22, 23 intermeshing much in the same fashion that the blades of an egg beater do.

With the blades rotating in the directions as stated, they act somewhat like a pump having an intake 67 and a discharge 68. The scraper blade 53 being adjacent the intake 67, the fluid and its solids are positively diverted from the container wall into the intake 67 of the rotating blades. As the blades rotate, the container 17 rotates clockwise. The blades 22 and 23 cause the fluid to circulate clockwise about the axis Y and also along the surface of but counter to the direction of travel of the container 17. The fluid between blades 20 and 21 and the container wall flows in the same direction as the container rotates; however, as can be seen in Fig. 6, a part of the fluid between blades 22 and 23 flows counter to the direction of container rotation. As can be seen by inspection of Fig. 6, there are no dead spots or quiescent areas in which there would be substantially no mixing of the solids with the vehicle or fluid. The agitation is uniform throughout the entire body of the fluid. Because of the arrangement of the blades with respect to each other and with relation to the scraper blade 53, the fluid does not pile up on the blade and overflow the top of the container, as so often is the case with the prior art conventional mixers.

Having thus described the invention, it will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art to which the invention pertains, that various modifications and changes may be made in the illustrated embodiment without departing from either the spirit or the scope of the invention.

Therefore, what is claimed as new and desired to be secured by Letters Patent is:

l. A mixing device comprising a rotatable support provided with a vertically disposed shaft, means for driving said support, a container mounted on said support for rotation therewith, said container having an upright wall, a vertically movable support member, means for guiding said movable support member in its vertical motion a pair of rotating support members each having blades thereon, extending downwardly from and supported by said movable support member, means for driving said rotating members in opposite directions, the axis of rotation of said blades being substantially coincidental with the same diameter of said container and eccentrically located with respect to the axis of rotation of the container, the axis of rotation of one of said rotating blade support members being relatively close to a wall of the container and rotating counter thereto and the axis of rotation of the other bladesupporting member being eccentric of but spaced from the center of rotation of said container and rotating in the same direction, a carriage movably mounted on said movable support member and movable toward and away from the axis of the rotatable support, a scraper blade supported by said carriage and disposed within said container, the edge of said scraper blade being adjacent the intake of said blades, a roller mounted on the carriage and disposed to engage the exterior of the wall of the container at a location relatively close to said scraper blade for maintaining the edge of said scraper blade at a relatively fixed distance from the inner wall of the container, whereby the wall of the container passes between the roller and the blade, and the roller and blade are shifted automatically to compensate for variations in the contour of the wall of the container, said rotating blades causing the fluid inthe area immediately adjacent the same to circulate with a circular motion but counter to the rotation of the container and causing the fluid between the blades and the wall surface of the container to travel in the direction of rotation of the container on one side of the container axis and to travel counter to the rotation of the container on the opposite side of the container axis, whereby uniform agitation of the fluid and its solids is obtained.

2. A mixing device which comprises a container having a substantially cylindrical wall, means for rotating the container about the axis of said wall, a carriage movably mounted adjacent the container for movement toward and away from the axis of rotation, a scraper blade mounted on said carriage and disposed within the container in scraping relation with said wall, and a guide mounted on the carriage and disposed to engage the wall of the container on the outside thereof at a location adjacent the blade, whereby the wall of the container passes between said blade and said guide and the guide and blade are shifted automatically by the container to compensate for variations in the contour of the wall of the container.

3. A mixing device which comprises a container having an upright substantially cylindrical wall, means for rotating the container about the axis of said wall, a carriage movably mounted above the wall of the container for movement toward and away from the axis of rotation, a scraper blade mounted on said carriage and disposed within the container in scraping relation with said wall, and a roller having an upright axis mounted on the carriage and disposed to engage the wall of the container on the outside thereof at a location adjacent the blade, whereby the wall of the container passes between said. blade and said roller and the roller and blade are shifted automatically by the container to compensate for variations in the contour of the wall of the container.

4. A mixing device which comprises a container having a substantially cylindrical wall, means for rotating the container about the axis of said wall, a carriage movably mounted above the wall of the container 'fOI' movement toward and away from the axis of rotation, a scraper blade mounted on said carriage and disposed within the container in scraping relation with said wall, a roller mounted on the carriage and disposed to engage the wall of the container on the outside thereof at a location adjacent the blade, whereby the wall of the container passes be tween said blade and said roller and the roller and blade are shifted automatically by the container to compensate for variations in the contour of the wall of the container, and means mounted in the container for stirring the contents of the container as the container rotates.

5. A mixing device which comprises a container having a substantially cylindrical wall, means for'rotating the.

container about the axis of said wall, a carriage movably References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 553,554 De Camp Ian. 28, 1896 6 Williams Aug. 22, 1950 Reifiin Apr. 8, 1952 Holstein Feb. 8, 1955 FOREIGN PATENTS Great Britain Aug. 23, 1912 Italy Aug. 6, 1935 Great Britain Nov. 12, 1936 

